LIX Systems LX8100-AM2BB-M2NPV HTPC

Not only does LIX Systems provide the hardware necessary to get a Linux HTPC up and running but they even go as far as creating Fedora-based media that ship with all of the configurations needed for operation. So even down the road if you format or destroy your hard drive, running these LIX Systems discs will reinstall the entire system within 15 minutes and you'll be up and running. All that is needed is to type "nuke" after booting from the media. Massive appreciation goes out to LIX Systems for taking this extra step. The standard Linux distribution used is Fedora Core 5. One issue to point out though is that using the install disc requires the temporary removal of the capture card.

With the basics now covered, it is time for us to share our thoughts on how the LX8100-AM2BB-M2NPV actually performs. After thoroughly examining the unit, we proceeded to setup the HTPC in one of our testing bays. Setting up the device was easy and straight forward just like any other PC. One general area that we would like to see improved upon with LIX Systems is their documentation. LIX Systems does not provide any printed documentation on how to open the chassis, how to fit additional components inside, etc. Granted this information is relatively straightforward or easy to figure out for experienced users, but this would be an area where newcomers may struggle.

LIX Systems loads the HTPC with Fedora Core 5 and KDE as the desktop environment. The media applications included were TV Time, KDE TV, and KRadio. However, LIX Systems has the systems configured for using multiple third-party RPM repositories (e.g. FreshRPMs, Livna, and ATRPMS), so most other software can be installed using yum.